It seems that the good times continue to roll this summer; on the back of local (Dotted Fan-foot) and nationally scarce (Star-wort) moths comes a treasure I’d long hoped for but really ceased to expect.
In Britain moths don’t come more exotic looking than those members of the sphingidae family – the Hawk-moths. And I’ve only seen them either dead or in photographs. When I went upstairs last night the bathroom was empty. I’m really nearly absolutely certain about that, so I switched off the light and went to bed.
Morrissey’s flying leap onto my middle and his aggressive purring woke me at about five (who needs an alarm clock, eh) and on the way downstairs I detoured. Thankfully. It was unmissable, silhouetted against the early light even in the west facing window – and unmistakable.
Poplar Hawk-moth (laothoe populi)
Poplar Hawk-moth (laothoe populi)
The conventional foodstuff of larvae of the Poplar Hawk-moth is, yes, poplar and other aspen but at a pinch it will eat a wider variety of foliage. I can see a poplar from the window and I’m speculating that my poplar hawk-moth began life there. But not since this evening on how bonkers those neighbours will think me if I go knocking and ask ever so politely for a supply of leaves, and formulating contingency plans should my nerve fail me or they refuse. Of course she may not lay eggs, he certainly will not.
This is a big moth, he’s got a wingspan of closer to 9cm than 8cm; in typical Poplar Hawk-moth fashion he’s resting with his hind wings projecting beyond the fore wings which is an uncommon arrangement in moths. This species is on the wing between May and July* so either he’s emerged late or he’s reaching the end of his natural life. As a species they can be drawn to light, yet this is the first I’ve seen. They may be ‘common and widespread’ but I’m almost as pleased with this moth as with the Star-wort I found yesterday, and certainly as pleased with either of these as I would be with a house full of Common Emeralds.
*or possibly, and later in a second generation. Depends on source.
The following pics were taken later tonight; the moth was struggling inside that box and I wasn’t prepared to keep it trapped. After flying about the bathroom for a short while it settled again and I got some further pics:
As a further postscript I briefly thought I might have solved the riddle of the mystery green eggs that something dim laid on the shed wall. The egg of the poplar hawk-moth is indeed green and a similar shade, however the female hawk-moth will not lay clusters such as the one I found, and her eggs are more spherical than those in the photo I took. I went out to look at them this afternoon and they are no longer quite as green, plus there is a distinct brown dot, off-centre. So something is happening.
